1.

Discuss the different KM cycles approaches and how they may be integrated
into a comprehensive, integrated approach to the effective management of
knowledge within an organization.

Approaches of Knowledge Management Cycle

Knowledge Management is needed for an organization to help them identify,

acquire, disseminate, and capture the benefits of each knowledge to build an
effective strategy for the organization.

1. Meyer and Zack (1996)

Meyer and Zack’s approach explains that the research and knowledge
regarding the design of physical products can be extended into the intellectual
realm as the basis for a knowledge management cycle. In this approach, the
network between each stage is designed to be logical and standardized.
The physical products in this cycle can be explained by numbers of product
platform or can be called as knowledge repository, and process platform that is used
for to leverage knowledge in an organization. This cycle’s stages consist of creation
of knowledge product of well-designed repository. Meyer and Zack analyzed that a
well-designed repository or database can be the basic or foundation of a firm
information and knowledge management. The cycle in Meyer and Zack consists of
several stages, which are acquisition, refinement, storage, distribution, and
presentation.

2. Bukowitz & Williams (2000)

Bukowitz and Williams approach consists of framework that help organization

to generate, maintain, and deploy a strategic knowledge to create value. In this
framework it focused on knowledge which includes knowledge repositories,
relationships, information technologies, communications infrastructure, functional
skill sets, process know-how, environmental responsiveness, organizational
intelligence, and external sources. The first three steps, which are get, learn, and
contribute are affected by day-to-day use of knowledge. As for the next three steps,
which are asses, build, and divest are triggered by macro environment.

3. McElroy (2003)

McElroy’s approach held knowledge subjectively (in minds of individuals and

groups) and objectively (in explicit forms).This approach outlines a cycle consists of
processes of knowledge production and integration. In this cycle, McElroy
emphasizes that knowledge must be held by both individual and group inside the
organization, therefore they can make result from the knowledge distribution and
reinforce existing knowledge to have the expected outcome. Hereby is the processes
in McElroy KM cycle.

Experience gained from the application of knowledge in the organizational

knowledge base leads to new claims and resulting beliefs, triggering the cycle to
begin all over again. In knowledge production, the primary processes are individual
and group learning. Knowledge claim formulation, information acquisition; codified
knowledge claim and knowledge claim evaluation.
4. Wiig (1993)

For Wiig, knowledge is the principle force that determines and drives the ability to act
intelligently. Wiig emphasizes on three things an organization must have to conduct
a business, which are, must have products and services, customers, and resources.
This cycle tells us about how the knowledge is built and used for individuals and
organization. It focuses on identifying and analyzing activities that related to the
knowledge building and sharing. Here are the four steps for Wiig in his cycle;

2. Provide an example of how each of the major KM cycle stages listed below
can add value to knowledge and increase the strategic worth of the knowledge
asset:

a. Capture

Let’s take for example professor and student relationship. Professors input
knowledge students and then later on students will apply this knowledge in a certain
situation. These students can quickly adapt this skill/knowledge set to capture
knowledge from experts and reformulate this knowledge as organizational stories to
be stored in corporate memory. Capturing knowledge can add value to knowledge
since it is one way to store knowledge.

b. Codify

Codifying is a plus factor in the success of Knowledge Management. In this

process, knowledge asset or human asset arrange orderly and systematically. In this
way, people or organizations will be benefited. For example, people codify words,
these words will turn into languages, and these languages will be used by people.
Codifying words to language are made systematically that can help the people of
such organizations to succeed.
c. Create

Creating anything is one of the secret of Knowledge Management’s success.

Discovering and trying to apply what you have learned or get from human asset or
knowledge asset is a good way to enhance or improve the quality of knowledge that
an organization has. Creating means accelerating and increasing what you have. If
people in an organization increases his/her knowledge then there is a tendency that
they will create better system/advent to help the organization succeed.

d. Share

Sharing is caring. In an organization, knowledge management is being

shared. In this way, organization can help their workers to improve and increase the
knowledge and skill that they have. Good example of this process are trainings and
seminars. The head of a certain organization can share his/her knowledge to
improve one’s self for the betterment of the group.

e. Acquire

Acquiring is developing something you have learned. You change what is bad
and turn it to what is good or the organization. Knowledge management develops
systems and processes to acquire and share intellectual assets. It increases the
generation of useful, actionable, and meaningful information, and seeks to increase
both individual and team learning. In addition, it can maximize the value of an
organization’s intellectual base across diverse functions and disparate locations.

f. Apply

Knowing something without application is something useless. The purpose of

knowing is to apply it for its future use. Applying is a factor to value knowledge asset
because it tries to prove that knowledge asset is useful and it has a result. If you
learned in Knowledge management what is good in an organization, you may apply it
and put it into practice. As they say practice what you have learned for you to
become useful and worth it.

3. Where are the go/no decisions in the KM cycle? What types of information would
you require in order to decide whether or not the knowledge content would continue
on to the next step of the cycle?

In my own point of view, I think the knowledge management cycle processes

are all useful. I will not question any process since they are all responsible for their
own work in Knowledge Management Cycle. You get the information, assess,
acquire, use and then share.

The information must be factual, conceptual, procedural and metacognitive.

Because it a certain information can only be use because it is factual, I think we
cannot proceed to acquire it. It’s important to have these type of information to
understand knowledge strengths and areas of need to better meet your personal and
organization’s goals.